Karnataka - Madikeri   

Panel to look into illegal tree felling

Staff Correspondent

Cases were reported in Kodagu district more than 10 years ago A special CoD team filed charge sheets against 30-odd officials and merchants in 1994

Madikeri: The Forest Department has constituted a committee headed by a senior official to gather reports about the illegal felling of trees in Kodagu district more than 10 years ago, according to official sources here on Wednesday.

The visit of an Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to Kodagu a few days ago assumes significance in the wake of this decision.

The then State Government, headed by S. Bangarappa, allowed felling in "unredeem" lands in 1992, which was prohibited earlier. Many timber merchants, with the connivance of forest officials, felled trees indiscriminately in various parts of the district.

Trees felled and kept in Government depots fetched 50 per cent revenue to the landholders. Some transported trees them out of the district with fake permits.

The Government then asked Yellappa Reddy, then Forests and Environment Secretary, to hold an inquiry. The case was later handed over to the Corps of Detectives (CoD), which filed 10 cases involving forest officials and merchants, in the courts in Virajpet and Somwarpet taluks.

Charge sheets filed

A special CoD team investigated the matter for two years and filed charge sheets against 30-odd officials and merchants in 1994. More than 100 fake permits were made to shift timber out of Kodagu. Certain timber lots were even seized in Kerala, sources said. In seven of the 10 cases, there was strong evidence to fix a few merchants and officials. More than 30 persons may be indicted in the seven cases, sources said.

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